File photo: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Saudi Arabia
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz on Tuesday met with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan at Riyadh's Al-Yamamah Palace, with whom he discussed bilateral ties and regional developments.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the two men “reviewed the close relations between the two countries and the latest developments in the region”.
Khan's current visit to Saudi Arabia is his second since he assumed the Pakistani premiership in August.
Last month, King Salman met with Khan in Jeddah -- during the latter’s first official trip abroad -- to discuss bilateral ties and prospects for enhanced cooperation.
Khan is now visiting Riyadh to take part in a high-profile investment conference currently underway in the Saudi capital.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan left for Saudi Arabia to attend an investment conference boycotted by other leaders over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey.Khan told an interviewer before leaving he was concerned at Khashoggi's death but could not skip the conference because "we're desperate" for possible Saudi loans to shore up Pakistan's economy.It is Khan's second visit to Saudi Arabia in just over a month, but he has not succeeded in securing significant financial assistance to stave off a looming balance of payment crisis.Khan told the Middle East Eye in an interview published on Monday that he could not pass up the invitation to meet Saudi leaders again."The reason I feel I have to avail myself of this opportunity is because in a country of 210 million people right now we have the worst debt crisis in our history," he was quoted as saying."Unless we get loans from friendly countries or the IMF (International Monetary Fund), we actually won't have in another two or three months enough foreign exchange to service our debts or to pay for our imports. So we're desperate at the moment."Finance Minister Asad Umar and Commerce Minister Abdul Razak Dawood are accompanying Khan, a statement from Khan's office said on Monday, adding it "will give a chance to connect with those people who are interested in investing in Pakistan".Islamabad has already asked the IMF to open negotiations for the country's second potential bailout in five years.Siemens CEO Kaeser says he will not attend Saudi investment conferenceKhan, who took office in July, still has been seeking alternatives to the tough conditions the IMF is likely to impose for loans, limiting his vision of an Islamic welfare state.The central bank's foreign reserves dropped this month to $8.1 billion, a four-year low and barely enough to cover sovereign debt payments due through the end of the year. The current account deficit has swelled to about $18 billion.Khan has blamed the previous government's policies for the ballooning current account deficit.He told the Middle East Eye that he was concerned over the "shocking" death of Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul."The Saudi government will have to come up with an answer… We wait for whatever the Saudi explanation is," he was quoted as saying. "We hope there is an explanation that satisfies people and those responsible are punished." Footage of Saudi operative dressed in Khashoggi's clothes after journalist's death emergesIndonesia urges Saudis on transparent Khashoggi probe
Imran Khan leaves for Saudi conference saying Pakistan 'desperate' for loans
Pakistan army on Monday said it "successfully" wrapped up its decade-long anti-Taliban offensive in the restive northwestern valley of Swat."Today is our victory day and we proudly announced that now there is no presence of any terrorist hideouts in Swat as Pakistan military successfully defeated them and destroyed all their hideouts in Swat and other parts of Malakand region," Mehmood Khan, chief minister of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said.His remarks came during a ceremony to mark the end of the operations and handover of powers to civilian authorities after 11 years of military rule in the region.Swat valley, a tourist attraction located in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, used to be known as the "Switzerland of Pakistan".Pakistan closes border crossings ahead of Afghan pollsUS general doesn't believe he was target of Kandahar attackThe valley has been a stronghold for the Tehrik Taliban Pakistan -- Pakistani Taliban -- from 2007 to 2009.The Pakistani army deployed armed forces in Swat in 2007 to launch a large-scale operation against Taliban militants.The last deadly attack carried out by the Taliban in Swat valley was in January 2013 when 21 worshipers were killed and 70 others injured at a religious center."Terrorists had destroyed our educational institutions, health facilities and killed thousands of innocent people in Swat, Dir, Bunir and other parts of the Malakand Division," Khan recalled."Today complete peace has returned here."According to the provincial police chief, Salahuddin Mehsud, the provincial government has deployed over 20,000 police in the Swat valley to secure the region.Three militants, five civilians killed in KashmirTurkey starts language courses for orphans in Pakistan
Pakistan ends military operations in Swat valley
When asked about the furor caused by the disappearance early this month of a Saudi journalist, Khan told The Independent on Monday: "What happened in Turkey is just shocking… But that aside, the reason I have to take this opportunity [to attend the Riyadh conference] is because we [Pakistan]… have the worst debt crisis in our history.”
A columnist for the Washington Post, Jamal Khashoggi was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
Pakistani and Russian armed forces on Monday launched joint maneuvers in a latest sign of the growing military ties between the two countries.A Russian army contingent has arrived in Pakistan to participate in the joint military exercise "Druzhba-III", Pakistan Army spokesperson Major Gen. Asif Ghafoor said in a statement.The two-week-long drills will last through Nov. 4.This is the third part of a series of military drills in the ongoing Pakistan-Russia military cooperation which was agreed on in a defense deal signed in 2014.The first part of the exercises was held in Pakistan in 2016 and the second one was in Russia in 2017.Islamabad and Moscow have accelerated defense cooperation in recent years following Pakistan's deteriorating ties with the U.S., mainly on Afghanistan.Islamabad received four Mi-35 attack helicopters from Moscow last year for $153 million.Russia, along with China, has appeared as an alternative to the U.S. in the face of Washington's burgeoning defense partnership with New Delhi.Moscow has also shown interest in the multi-billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is the part of Beijing’s most ambitious foreign economic initiative -- One Belt One Road.The $64 billion project aims to connect northwest China to Pakistan's southwestern Gwadar port through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines to transport cargo, oil, and gas.The route will provide the shortest way to Chinese cargo destined for the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.Pakistan has reportedly agreed to give Russia access to the Gwadar port for trade in return for a planned Russian railway track between the port and the northwestern Chaman border though details about the port-for-railway deal have yet to emerge.Trump says US to exit nuclear treaty, Russia says dangerous moveRussian military jet crash kills two pilotsTrump says US pulling out of Russian nuclear arms dealBalance outSecurity analysts view the joint exercises as an attempt by Moscow to "balance out" its missile deal with New Delhi.India has inked a deal of $5 billion to purchase an S-400 air defense missile system during Russian President Vladimir Putin visit to the country on Oct. 5."Moscow is pursuing a balanced approach in the region. It [Russia] is still New Delhi's largest arms provider but simultaneously it wants to boost relations with Pakistan to protect its regional interests, mainly in Afghanistan," Brigadier Mahmood Shah, an Islamabad-based security analyst, told Anadolu Agency.The two sides, Mahmood opined, shared some common interests in the region, especially in the war-stricken Afghanistan, behind their increasing partnership."Russia is worried about a possible fall out of the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan via the Central Asian States. That's why it [Moscow] is equally interested in peace in Afghanistan, for which Pakistan is a common denominator," he said.For Pakistan, he agreed, Russia has emerged as another option in terms of defense cooperation following icy relations between Islamabad and Washington -- two former allies in the so-called war on terror.Three militants, five civilians killed in KashmirTurkey starts language courses for orphans in PakistanPakistan closes border crossings ahead of Afghan polls
Pakistan, Russia hold joint military drills
Pakistan on Sunday welcomed the contacts between the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and “their desire to work together to address Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi issue.”"We welcome the steps taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Turkey to address this issue. Disclosing facts to the public and bringing those responsible to justice is important in this regard," Mohammad Faisal, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.The statement came two days after the Turkish president and Saudi king discussed Khashoggi’s issue over the phone.Germany stops arms exports to Saudi ArabiaThe two leaders agreed on the importance of full cooperation so that the investigation proceeds smoothly, said a Turkish presidential source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media.Khashoggi was last seen on Oct. 2 when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.After days of denying to know his whereabouts, Saudi Arabia on Saturday claimed Khashoggi was killed during a fight inside the consulate.Bin Salman wasn't aware of Khashoggi killing: Saudi FM
Pakistan welcomes Turkish-Saudi contacts on Khashoggi
After days of denying any knowledge of his whereabouts, Saudi officials last week admitted that Khashoggi had died inside the consulate.
Since then, King Salman has sacked the deputy head of the Saudi intelligence agency (along with a top aide), while also ordering the arrest of 18 suspects in the case.
On Sunday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir admitted that Khashoggi had been killed inside the consulate, but insisted that Mohamed bin Salman -- Saudi Arabia’s high-profile crown prince -- had not been aware of it.
Al-Jubeir has also posited the notion that Khashoggi’s presumed murder was a “rogue operation” carried out by Saudi intelligence operatives.